★★★ #1 Amazon Bestseller
★★★ New edition of the 400,000-copy bestseller
★★★ Sold in 22 countries worldwide

Did you say 'just 5 minutes' today and then an hour was 'lost'?
A Self-Reboot Guide for Modern People Addicted to Dopamine

Is it all due to dopamine? Dopamine is being wronged! It's time to clear its name of being the "main culprit of addiction" and the "epitome of pleasure."
In reality, dopamine is not pleasure, but rather the brain's algorithm that responds more strongly to unpredictable rewards and the anticipation of the future.
If you've been thinking, "It's all dopamine's fault!" until now, this book will be a good starting point for clearing up misunderstandings about dopamine.
"Dopamine Man" meticulously traces how dopamine designs and controls human behavior, crossing over neuroscience, biology, psychology, and sociology.
Published to commemorate the 400,000-copy milestone, the new edition sheds fresh light on the question, "Why should we focus on dopamine again now?" amidst the accelerated digital addiction and uncertain social climate following the pandemic.
It also offers tips for regaining focus lost to smartphones, motivating you to achieve long-term goals like dieting or studying, and even breaking the cycle of addiction.

Now that immediate stimulation has become our daily routine, we feel the presence of dopamine more strongly than ever.
A brain that can't focus, a mind that gets bored easily, and constant lack are not due to personal weaknesses, but because the brain is operating according to its original circuitry designed to respond to rewards under the hyper-stimulation provided by algorithms.
That's why now is the time to better understand dopamine and train it to use it wisely.
This book poses scientific yet realistic questions to modern people who waver between temptation and moderation.
What is your brain expecting right now? How will that expectation lead to fulfillment?

In fact, dopamine has nothing to do with pleasure.
Everyone has been completely wrong up until now.
To be precise, dopamine's real role is to convey emotions that are much more subtle and profound than pleasure.
Humans live by engaging in various activities.
They are passionate about the arts, such as art, literature, and music, and pursue success.
We also explore new worlds, investigate the laws of nature, and think about God.
And humans often fall in love.
A proper understanding of dopamine can accurately explain and even predict a wide range of human behaviors.
--- From "The Pleasure Molecule That Constantly Craves 'More, More, More'"

It took some time for the monkey to understand the rules.
At first, the monkey opened any box, so it found food only about once in two attempts.
In the brains of monkeys who found food, dopamine flashed and became active, just as in the rat experiment.
So, through trial and error, the guys finally understood the signal and opened the box containing the food correctly every time.
And it was around this point that the dopamine release began to shift from when the monkey found food to when the light bulb came on.
What's going on? It's always impossible to predict which lightbulb will light up.
However, the monkeys who understood the connection between light and food began to feel a thrill from the light, not the food.
A new hypothesis can be formulated here.
Dopamine activity is not an indicator of pleasure, but rather a response to 'unpredictability', that is, possibility and expectation.
--- From "'I tried it and it wasn't that great...'"

The dopamine craving circuit is powerful.
When the dopamine desire circuit is activated, humans exhibit incredible focus and motivation, and tremble with thrill.
The dopamine circuit is deeply involved in many decisions humans make.
Fortunately, it is not omnipotent.
So, addicts quit drugs, and those with food addictions lose weight through dieting. Even turning off the TV, getting up from the couch, and going for a jog are possible because they've overcome the dopamine circuit.
There's something else in the brain that's strong enough to fight and defeat dopamine, the guardian of desire. But what could it be? It's dopamine.
Dopamine fights dopamine.
Let's call another dopamine circuit the 'dopamine control circuit' in that it suppresses the dopamine desire circuit.
--- From "Turning the TV on and off is all dopamine"

Just as an overactive dopamine desire circuit can lead to drug addiction, people with an overly dominant dopamine control circuit become addicted to the desire for achievement.
However, achievement addicts are only obsessed with the goals they want to achieve and are never satisfied with the present.
It is similar to how the abnormal happiness experienced by drug addicts gradually decreases as the dosage increases due to drug tolerance.
Let's take a good look around.
There's probably at least one person who is crazy about work but isn't happy with any of their accomplishments.
For them, achieving goals is not something to brag about.
It's just a step towards moving on to the next task.
There was a woman who chose the position of head of a problematic department as her next assignment.
She finally gained recognition at work thanks to working overtime as if it were nothing, but she soon became bored.
For the first few months, I also tried to enjoy the relaxed working environment.
But my stomach was itching so badly that I couldn't stand it.
Eventually, she applied for a transfer, asking to be transferred to a department with more work.

--- From "The Man Who Had No Choice But to Live as a Space Hero"

Cells that produce dopamine in the brain account for only 0.0005% of all brain cells.
Is that all there is to it? Sheep aren't everything.
When humans ask themselves, 'What kind of person am I, essentially?', they are in fact thinking of this elite special forces.
Humans define their self based on the set of dopamine they each possess.
That is, in human consciousness, dopamine is me.
Why is this? Let's ask a philosopher what the "essence of humanity" is.
Then he will answer, 'free will.'
Humans are able to weigh the pros and cons of various options and understand abstract concepts such as values ​​and principles.
And finally, we judge and decide for ourselves the best way to maximize what we believe is right.
But the real protagonist behind this is dopamine.

--- From "A Country of Immigrants Where Dopamine Explodes"